Luggage bag



June 6, 1944. l. GOLD zsooe LUGGAGE BAG Filed Dec. 17, 1942 y INVENTO'R Patented June 6, 1944 LUGGAGE BAG Isadore Gold, Brooklyn, N. Y., assigner to Atlantic Products Corporation, Trenton, N. J., a corporation ofV New Jersey Application December 17, 1942, Serial No. A459,296

1 Claim.

This invention relates to luggage bags, particularly to the folding wardrobe type of bag, characterized by the fact that it lies at when opened, that it is of sufficient length when open to accommodate many garments Without folding them, and that it can be folded into a general U-shaped conformation and carried by a handle or handles at the top. The invention has for a general object the provision of improvements in this art.

In the patent to Theodore S. Cart No. 2,086,895, granted July 13, 1937, there is disclosed a luggage bag of the general type with which the present invention is concerned. The bag shown in the patent is of the exible type with a wire frame reinforcement to give it suicient rigidity to retain its shape. Because of the present scarcity of metal, this invention aims to provide a bag which can be made of ply-wood or some other rigid panel material. A rigid bag, however, has

.its own advantages, particularly in its ability to retain its shape and resist crushing. At the same time the invention may be incorporated in nonrigid or semi-rigid bags, as will be understood from the following disclosure.

The invention is concerned with the provision of an improved side Wall construction which furnishes a continuous retainer, both when the bag is open and when it is closed. In the specific form disclosed herein, the side wall construction also makes lthe bottom of the bag more rigid.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of an illustrative embodiment thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawing, where- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the bag when opened almost to its full extent;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the bag when closed ready for lifting;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing the ller or insert panel which completes the end Wall and strengthens the bottom; and

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2, showing the insert panel and the main end wall panels in the abutting position they occupy when the bag is closed.

As illustrated, the bag comprises side panels lila, and lb and a bottom panel Ic, these panels together forming the bottom side l when the bag is open. Top panels I2a and I2b form the top l2 when the bag is closed. Main end Wall panels Ilia and |411 and the end wall insert panel Mc form the ends I4 when the bag is closed. An inside cover I6 of fabric is adapted to be placed over the garments in the bag. The cover I6 may be permanently attached to one top panel |20, (the hanger supporting panel) and connected by an adjustable strap-hook device l8 to the other top panel 12b. Other straphook devices 2l) hold the cover and garments in place in the bag. The top panels on the outside are provided with handles 22 and fasteners 24. When the bag is closed it may be lifted by both handles together. When the bag is open and used as a wardrobe it may be suspended by the handle which is attached to the hanger-supporting top panel |2a.

Preferably all of the enclosing panels are formed of rigid sheets such as ply-Wood, stiff nbre-board or strong light metal, when available. The panels may be covered with fabric.

The end wall insert panel Ille is shown to be of triangular shape, the base of which is as long as the width of the bottom panel Ille, the main end panels Ma and lll-b being cut away at an angle from the side panels to fit the inclined edges of the insert panel when the bag is closed. The insert panel is formed as a bent member Which is secured to the bottom Ille by rivets 25 or other suitable means.

The abutting inclined edges of the end panels are connected on the inside by fabric webs 26 which are suitably creased to fold inward When the bag is closed. They may be formed as a continuation of the fabric covering on the end panels and when the bag is opened out at the webs are pulled out straight to form continuous retaining Walls with the end panels.

While the upper edges of the insert end panel are straight to form a triangle, they may be circular or otherwise shaped to t with the abutting edges of the main end panels. The term triangular, however, may be used to'designate all such shapes generically. In all cases the side of the bag folds on spaced lines at each side of the bottom panel in order that the side may lie flat when the bag is fully opened. Bags of this general type form unitary rectangular boxes or compartments, both when open and when closed, and may be referred to as convertible unitary rectangular-compartment bags.

It Will be noted that while the outside of the bag is rigid so as to hold its shape and present a good appearance when closed, the garments inside are not sharply folded or creased when the bag is closed but are kept in as good condition as When packed in a completely exible folding bag. It will also be evident that the insert may be used with panels which are semirigid, as in the Cart patent referred to above, in the same manner as with the rigid panels illustrated herein. The insert materially strengthens the bottom panel and, together with the connecting Webs, prevents garments from bulging out beyond the natural outlines of the bag at all times, both when open and when closed.

While one embodiment of the invention has been described in detail, it will be understood that the invention may be variously embodied and modied within the limits of the prior art and the scope of the subjoined claim.

I claim as my invention:

A luggage bag comprising, in combination, a bottom side including side panels and a bottom panel hinged to fold along the side edges of the bottom panel, top panels, and ends including Y.

rigid main end panelsr and rigid insert end pan- Vbag is closed, and ilexible webs connecting the insert end panels with the main end panels to `close the spaces between opposed ends thereof,

said web being flexible throughout their entire area so as to be readily deformable to conform to the contents of the bag when closed, and the vupper edges of said webs forming a continuation of the upper edges of said main end panels when said bag `is open so as to conne the contents of thebag when open.

ISADORE GOLD. 

